NEWS
Brooklands & the VSCC ‘Marque’ the Occasion at The Double Twelve Motorsport Festival
Tuesday 30 April 2013
For the motoring world, 2013 is a year heavy with anniversaries, and at this year’s Brooklands Double Twelve Motorsport Festival, recognition will be given to some of those, ranging from Aston Martin, and the Vauxhall 30-98 (with ’works’ entries) to the BMC Mini Cooper ‘S’ and the Mercedes-Benz ’Pagoda’ SL.
For this year’s Festival weekend on the 15 and 16 of June - the closest to the anniversary of the opening of the race track in 1907 - Brooklands Museum and joint organisers the Vintage Sports-Car Club have once again put together two days packed with live motor sport, Concours judging and fantastic entertainment.
On the Saturday, Mercedes-Benz World’s twisty handling circuit will be put to good use for the Double Twelve Speed Trials, while concurrently on the Museum site, the two days of Concours judging get underway to the accompaniment of the fast and furious ’Test Hill Challenge’. On the Sunday, the historic and somewhat punishing environs of the 32 acre Museum grounds will see cars and their drivers put through their paces in a series of challenging Driving Tests similar to those tackled by our forebears. The competition elements of the weekend have, once again, been organised by the VSCC.
Special classes for the Speed Trials this year include one for the legendary giant-killing BMC Mini Cooper ‘S’, celebrating its 50th anniversary, and an invitation class for pre-1956 sports-cars, which is attracting attention from entrants with cars as diverse as the Austin Healey 100/4 and the mighty Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Gullwing’. Alongside these will be competing the traditional VSCC classes for everything from standard Austin Seven ‘Ulsters’ and MG ‘M’ Types up to fearsomely quick single-seater ERAs and powerful Bentleys.
The classes for the Driving Tests embrace the whole spread of classic motoring, catering for everything from the spindliest pre-1910 Veteran to the most sophisticated grand tourers of the 1970s, including cars with genuine Brooklands competition history and later ones in the same spirit included along the way. The Mini Cooper ‘S’ gets another look-in here, as does the classic Mercedes-Benz SL ‘Pagoda’, also celebrating its 50th anniversary.
The Mercedes ‘Pagoda’ crops up again in the special classes of the Double Twelve Concours, this year running as a stand-alone event as well as being open to cars competing in the Speed Trials and Driving Tests. Other special classes here mark two significant centenaries – those of the Aston Martin marque and of the charismatic Vauxhall 30-98 sports-car, the latter supported by a fantastic entry from Vauxhall’s own historic collection with two 30-98s and their ancestor, the “Prince Henry” of 1911.
The new arrangements for the Double Twelve Concours and Driving Tests this year mean that an entrant can enter any single competitive event of the three being run over the weekend, or can enter any two and thus become eligible for the much-prized Double Twelve trophies, awarded for the best aggregate performances across any two of the three disciplines. Competition schedules have been arranged so that those who wish to enter the Driving Tests and Concours will have Concours judging on the Saturday, and those who wish to do the Speed Trials and Concours will be judged on the Sunday. Full lists of classes, competition details and entry forms can be found on the Double Twelve pages of the Museum website at: www.brooklandsmuseum.com .
The Saturday of the Double Twelve Festival will again feature the Test Hill Challenge – an event hugely popular with spectators who will be treated to the sights and sounds of all sorts of vehicles from aero-engined monsters to Sinclair C5s blasting up the famous Test Hill, with children’s running races and vehicle-tugging competitions to provide a contrast. If all this motoring action is not enough, the whole site including the Clubhouse, Motoring Village and Aircraft Park will be transformed for the Festival, providing a music stage, period dancing and live bands, food and drink outlets, simulators, virtual flights aboard a real Concorde and a Discovery Centre for the youngsters.
For further information on the Double Twelve Concours, please contact Nic Waller at nic@nicwaller.co.uk or 0787 551 6817. For further information about the Speed Trials and the Driving Tests, please contact the Vintage Sports-Car Club Competitions Department on comps@vscc.co.uk or call 01608 644777 Ext 4.
On the Saturday, Mercedes-Benz World’s twisty handling circuit will be put to good use for the Double Twelve Speed Trials, while concurrently on the Museum site, the two days of Concours judging get underway to the accompaniment of the fast and furious ’Test Hill Challenge’. On the Sunday, the historic and somewhat punishing environs of the 32 acre Museum grounds will see cars and their drivers put through their paces in a series of challenging Driving Tests similar to those tackled by our forebears. The competition elements of the weekend have, once again, been organised by the VSCC.
Special classes for the Speed Trials this year include one for the legendary giant-killing BMC Mini Cooper ‘S’, celebrating its 50th anniversary, and an invitation class for pre-1956 sports-cars, which is attracting attention from entrants with cars as diverse as the Austin Healey 100/4 and the mighty Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Gullwing’. Alongside these will be competing the traditional VSCC classes for everything from standard Austin Seven ‘Ulsters’ and MG ‘M’ Types up to fearsomely quick single-seater ERAs and powerful Bentleys.
The classes for the Driving Tests embrace the whole spread of classic motoring, catering for everything from the spindliest pre-1910 Veteran to the most sophisticated grand tourers of the 1970s, including cars with genuine Brooklands competition history and later ones in the same spirit included along the way. The Mini Cooper ‘S’ gets another look-in here, as does the classic Mercedes-Benz SL ‘Pagoda’, also celebrating its 50th anniversary.
The Mercedes ‘Pagoda’ crops up again in the special classes of the Double Twelve Concours, this year running as a stand-alone event as well as being open to cars competing in the Speed Trials and Driving Tests. Other special classes here mark two significant centenaries – those of the Aston Martin marque and of the charismatic Vauxhall 30-98 sports-car, the latter supported by a fantastic entry from Vauxhall’s own historic collection with two 30-98s and their ancestor, the “Prince Henry” of 1911.
The new arrangements for the Double Twelve Concours and Driving Tests this year mean that an entrant can enter any single competitive event of the three being run over the weekend, or can enter any two and thus become eligible for the much-prized Double Twelve trophies, awarded for the best aggregate performances across any two of the three disciplines. Competition schedules have been arranged so that those who wish to enter the Driving Tests and Concours will have Concours judging on the Saturday, and those who wish to do the Speed Trials and Concours will be judged on the Sunday. Full lists of classes, competition details and entry forms can be found on the Double Twelve pages of the Museum website at: www.brooklandsmuseum.com .
The Saturday of the Double Twelve Festival will again feature the Test Hill Challenge – an event hugely popular with spectators who will be treated to the sights and sounds of all sorts of vehicles from aero-engined monsters to Sinclair C5s blasting up the famous Test Hill, with children’s running races and vehicle-tugging competitions to provide a contrast. If all this motoring action is not enough, the whole site including the Clubhouse, Motoring Village and Aircraft Park will be transformed for the Festival, providing a music stage, period dancing and live bands, food and drink outlets, simulators, virtual flights aboard a real Concorde and a Discovery Centre for the youngsters.
For further information on the Double Twelve Concours, please contact Nic Waller at nic@nicwaller.co.uk or 0787 551 6817. For further information about the Speed Trials and the Driving Tests, please contact the Vintage Sports-Car Club Competitions Department on comps@vscc.co.uk or call 01608 644777 Ext 4.
